War Of Attrition
by TheKeeperOfTheSevenKeys
Summary: AU.In the past, the visards once ruled over soul society until the great Shinigami revolt. The present, the old one sealed long ago resurfaces. The reincarnations of the heroes who died to end the oppression must remember themselves and step up once more.


War of attrition Chapter one 

The last of the Captains of the Gotei 13 entered the conference hall. They stood in two equal lines along either side of the room. The Captains of squads 2 through 7 stood on one side of the hall and the captains of squads 8 through 13 on the other. The Captain of Captains, Captain commander or the 1st squad Captain was also there, He looked over all of the other captains. He took his place on a his throne at the head of the hall addressed them all in order from squad 2 to squad 13. The captain of squad 1, the Captain-commander, was Tenshi Sendo.

Tenshi was a well built and well postured man, who gave of an air of nobility. His hair was a bright blonde colour, very thick and heavy. It was also very long, so long in fact, that it was almost at his waist. Tenshi had a medium build and young body and face for his age. He had been the Captain-commander for as long as anyone can remember. Commander Sendo's large eyes were a deep, dark blue, giving a calm but sinister appearance, like that of an ocean before a great storm. His facial features were large, matching his eyes, his nose and chin were pointed but his ears rounded. Tenshi, however young he looked, he bore he scars of countless battles. He had many a scar on his lips where they had been burst, he had another over his eye and three on his left cheek, almost like a claw cut. He wore his captain's haori draped over his left shoulder, hiding his whole left side and his Shihakushō which was worn traditionally, covering most of his body. The Captain-commander had a very secretive aura about him he always seemed like he was hiding something, regardless of whether he was or wasn't. The other captains would often question Tenshi's methods but as the captain commander he is would quickly snap them back into place without the use of any unconventional force, although Tenshi usually adapted a laid back demeanour.

"Squad 2. Yumi Fukuzawa."

Yumi was a rather small woman. She had very pale skin almost as if she was no longer among the living. Yumi was very petite with small half shut upset looking grey eyes that were almost painted on. Her hair was a dark red colour, almost the colour of blood which lay gracefully at her shoulders. She wore her hair straight with a boxed fringe. Contrary to her look she acted very much like a dominatrix, her styles of keeping her squad in line were very dominative and she used her body to influence others in to doing her will a lot in soul society. She was a very perverted women who could turn every sentence into a innuendo of she felt the need. She was a very fragile looking woman, small facial features, pointed nose, curved chin and rosy cheeks. Yumi wore her Captain's haori and her Shihakushō open showing off her large chest. Her Shihakushō was tied tightly and clung to her body, exposing every curve and crevice, almost as if trying to attract attention to herself. Her Zanpakutō was tied to her obi at her left hip.

"Squad 3, Metaru Aono."

Captain Aono was a huge, hulking, dark skinned man that looked of African descent and towered over the rest of the captains. He had thin, rounded eyes that were the colour of obsidian crowned by thick black eyebrows. His hair was black, sleek and straight, pulled back into a simple ponytail He had a rough goatee and moustache that matched the colour of his hair. He had prominent cheekbones, a pointed chin and pinned looking ears. His Captain's haori was worn as a cloak, draped over his shoulders. Underneath his haori he wore hellish silver ceremonial armour that made him look all the more menacing. His Zanpakutō was sheathed across his back, the sheath was held on by a thick, steel chain that was attached at either end and worn like a sash by the Captain. Completely and utterly intimidating, on top of extremely powerful, all shinigami that didn't know him tried their hardest to stay out of his way. It was rumoured he was so powerful he was banned from using his Bankai in Seireitei or the human world.

"Squad 4, Sachiko Osagawara."

Sachiko Osagawara had a gentle, caring looking face, stereotypical of the Captain of the medical squad. Although having a caring face, she could be a very cold, harsh woman, telling her patients to "Man up." rather than comforting them. Her face, though caring and gentle, was also a face of striking natural beauty, she usually wore little to no make-up. Her eyes were large, round and inviting, the colour of the summer sky, her thin eyebrows floated lightly above her eyes giving her a permanently innocent look. She had a perfect, straight nose and soft, full lips and high cheekbones with peachy coloured, silky smooth skin. Her luxurious, angel curled style, toffee-coloured hair cascaded down her back and covered her small chest. She was very tall for a woman at 6ft 1" with a rather averagely built, curvy body. Her hands were quite big with long, thin fingers but extremely skilled as she was easily the best healer in the Gotei 13. She wore her Captain's haori normally over her standard Shihakushō, tied around the waist with a pink obi. Her wakizashi sized Zanpakutō was oddly placed as it was strapped to her outer thigh by bandages that covered the majority of the sheath. Many a Shinigami lusted and longed after Captain Osagawara.

"Squad 5, Kenji Shiraishi."

Captain Shiraishi was a very old, elegant looking man with an unusual aura of wisdom around him. He had short white hair that was worn in a simple style with a middle parting, his fringe parted so that it came down as two long strands at his temples. Captain Shiraishi's haori was vastly different to the other captains. His haori was like a large robe with a large hood and sleeves, covering him from head to toe, it was tied around his waist with a black obi and his haori brushed the ground as he walked. Captain Shiraishi was an ex high ranking member of the Kidō corps who volunteered to transfer into the Gotei 13 to replace the Captain of the 5th after his death, so he liked his haori adorned like his robe from back then. He was quite a small man of about 5 ft 4" with beady, pale eyes and old wrinkled facial features. His nose and chin were very small. Kenji's thin mouth was framed by a thick, white moustache and beard which grew into a pointed goatee. He always carried his Zanpakutō around with him and never let it go, even in his sleep. Kenji shared a very strong connection with his Zanpakutō and can often be found performing Jinzen within the 5th squad compound.

"Squad 6, Gosai Ringo."

Gosai was a reminiscent of stereotypical Caribbean man with extremely dark skin, a huge black afro and large black shades that covered the better part of his face, perched upon a big but straight nose and large ears. Captain Ringo could always be heard approaching as his afro bobbed and rustled like the trees when he walked. There were three ring piercings around the top of his left ear. Captain Ringo wore his Captain's haori open with no kosode underneath exposing his muscular and slightly hairy chest, he also had several smaller and one larger scar across his chest from battles previous. Captain Ringo was another tall shinigami standing sturdy at 6ft 2" with broad shoulders like a bouncer. His Zanpakutō was hung vertically on his back to the right of his spine and attached to a black, leather belt which was visible overlapping the Captain's six-pack. With the sheath of the Zanpakutō was hidden by his haori and the handle came up through the Captain's afro and stuck out the top, which coincidentally gave it effective camouflage as an afro comb. Captains Ringo and Aono were great friends and were nigh on inseparable in their free time, nor was their a more deadly tag team in battle. Captain Ringo was also known as the 'music man' due to the ability of his Zanpakutō.

"Squad 7, Nai Kouen."

Captain Kouen was often referred to as the black mammoth though not because of her skin or build but because of her Zanpakutō's ability. The few Captains that have seen it refuse to describe it. Captain Kouen rarely fought which lead to her Zanpakutō's ability rarely being seen in use. Contrary to her nickname, Captain Kouen was a medium sized woman, standing at 5ft 6", graceful and pretty. Captain Kouen's skin was ebony and contrasted with her shiny, mercury coloured hair, shoulder length and pulled back tightly into a bun at the back of her head. Her captain's haori rested lightly on her shoulders like a cloak and her Shihakushō was worn traditionally apart from it being open at the top revealing a black skin tight body suit which covered all of her would be exposed body, all the way up to the top of her neck. Nai's Zanpakutō was sheathed on her back in a white sheath with a white leather strap which ran over her left shoulder through the middle of her rather large chest and round the right of her curvy waist so as to hold it in place.

"Squad 8, Kuroi Berubetto."

Captain Berubetto had a very passive-aggressive personality that much reflected the sea, one minute, a very calm and collected person and the next, an unbearably angry person. He was a very slick man, the kind you would see chewing on a tooth pick and flipping a coin outside a casino. His hair was a deep navy blue, flat on the top, left parted and slicked right back. His skin was a normal peachy colour with pointed facial features. His haori was smaller than normal and clung to the movements of his body. The sleeves of his kosode were rolled right up revealing thin but well muscled arms. Captain Berubetto wielded three Zanpakutō which was highly unusual for a shinigami, he had two wakizashi and a katana. His katana was worn at his right side through his obi. His wakizashi were located, one on his right shoulder and the other at his left hip. Captain Berubetto was ambidextrous, making him extremely skilled at wielding two weapons in combat.

"Squad 9, Yaijuu Koruto."

Captain Koruto was a fierce, stubborn, young looking man with a face to match. He was the youngest of the Captains in his late teens. Captain Koruto was also the smallest of the thirteen Captains in height and build but his strong face made up for his small stature. He had small, roundish eyes that burned deep red and were permanently fixed into a fierce glare, his eyebrows slanted towards the bridge of his nose and his mouth always fixed in a scowl which made him look like he was constantly in a bad mood. Yajuu's nose and ears were small, proportional to his body. A short, slate grey mop of hair covered his ears with his fringe that stopped just above his thin, grey eyebrows. Captain Koruto wore the full Shihakushō and haori over it, Zanpakutō tucked through his obi beneath the haori. Captain Koruto's Zanpakutō, his ryūsei-shō ryū, was the most powerful known fire Zanpakutō and when combined with his Shunpo and binding Kidō, made him extremely dangerous. His superior combat abilities are what secured his status as Captain though he was much younger and lacked the leadership experience of the rest.

"Squad 10, Kaen Kyōkan."

Captain Kyōkan was the type of man that looked very dense but had wisdom far beyond his years. A very talkative and friendly man, who often joked but could become as serious as he needed be. Captain Kyōkan was the go to guy for all the new shinigami in the Gotei 13 who were struggling and needing guidance, he was seen as the unofficial councillor. Captain Kyōkan had the appearance and facial features of an Asian man. His eyes were dark, almost black like his hair. His hair was short, messy and unkempt, random tufts and spikes sticking out wherever they fell. Captain Kyōkan wore his Captain's Haori over his shoulders, over which he wore thick leaf shaped shoulder pads, as a cloak but had it tied with a black obi with his Zanpakutō tied on the outside of his haori. Captain Kyōkan's haori also had hood, similar to Captain Shiraishi which he always wore up as he wandered around the Seireitei. His hood however had a little hard piece that stuck out at the front which when pulled down, covered Captain Kyōkan's face similar to a kendo mask.

"Squad 11, "Habaki Drakesuno."

Habaki was a tall man of 6ft 5" and he adorned his Shihakushō and haori traditionally which gave no hint to his overly toned and muscular physique, however his presence alone could cause those unfamiliar to him to whimper as he gave off an imposing aura. He had swept back dirty blonde hair that went into a pony tail and stopped just above his lower back, and a rugged beard of the same colour that was trimmed around his jaw line and kept at a constant half inch long. He had handsome features despite the scar over his left eye that he claimed his Zanpakutō gave him when he was being a fool and used it to show off. The iris in his left eye was now permanently a pale gold colour thanks to this incident, while his right eye was of a striking blue that when its gaze fell upon you could either leave you bathed in a warm comforting glow of serenity, or it could install a imminent sense of death to his enemies, as they would see nothing but their own end in his eyes. He also had a bottle of sake on him at all times attached to his white Obi on the opposite side to his Zanpakutō, under his haori. He carried the sake with him because he not only enjoyed a drink but also he felt a swig before battle calmed his nerves and allowed him to become more objective in battle. Captain Drakesuno was widely known as one of the most powerful of the Captains in the Gotei 13.

"Squad 12, Kishi Kedamono."

Kishi was a rather tall man of average build who excluded broody, calm aura. He had a gaunt face with almond shaped, pale greyish blue eyes with a lazy eyelid in his right eye. His nose was long and pointed and his lips pale and thin. Captain Kedamono's face was rounded off into a small pointed chin. Captain Kedamono skin was very pale and contrasted with his long, raven hair. He wore his hair slicked back with thick strands that curved around his small ears and splayed loosely onto his chest on either side of his long neck. His Captain's haori rested upon his shoulders like a cloak under which that he, oddly, wore a white Shihakushō tied with a black obi around his waist. His Zanpakutō was tied to his obi at the right of his waist. A cigarette hung lazily in the corner of his mouth that he switched between the corners randomly. He always carried a brown, leather bound book with him which could be seen poking out of the fold of his kosode when he wasn't reading it. Captain Kedamono was a man of mystery, no one really knew very much about him, especially because Kishi spent most of his time locked away in the Shinigami Research and Development Institute. All that was really known about him was that he had been around for as long as Tenshi and for some reason, he was protective, almost to a fatherly degree of his Vice-captain Zarasuto Katsukai.

"Squad 13 Shiro Tora."

Shiro was a small, well built man, very agile and flexible looking. His hair was night-black...or at least used to be, as he aged his hair became white and now all that remained of his menacing black hair were thin, black strips that striped his snowy white hair. It was tied back tightly revealing his hairline with two small strands hanging down on the left of his forehead, one white and the other black. He had dark grey eyes that seemed as if fog was seeping from them. Captain Tora's irises seemed to be ever fluctuating and changing which said a lot about Captain Tora's personality. Captain Tora had thin, slitted eyes with a pointed nose and matching chin. His skin was slightly tanned and he had a tribal tattoo that formed a collar around his neck. He often said this represented imprisonment but this meant nothing to the other captains. Captain Tora was a calm, collected and very shady character although he never had anything to hide. Captain Tora had mutilated his haori, disliking it as a jacket he had torn a strip from it with the squad number on it and tied it like a scarf displaying the number on the right side of his neck. Captain Tora's Zanpakutō was tied at the rear of his right hip, his Shihakushō was the same as the standard uniform with the exception that he had torn the sleeves off.

"Now that were all here, let's press on with the matters at hand. Please captains, submit this weeks report. Is there any irregularities? I hope not, I've been enjoying this little bit of peace and quiet we've been having." said Captain-commander Sendo rising from his seat at the head of the hall slowly walking down the middle of the two rows of captains. Captain Ringo cleared his throat, caught the rooms attention and stepped forward "Captain-commander sir, I don't know if its important but patrol squads in the human world have reported severe increases hollow activity all over." said Captain Ringo, standing to attention.

Tenshi sighed and smiled "Relax, Gosai. There's no need to be so uptight around me." Gosai gave a short nervous laugh and scratched his head through his bushy afro.

Captain Berubetto snorted "Big deal, hollow activity fluctuates all the time." he shrugged.

Captain Kedamono stepped forward "The thing is..." he started. "It's not randomized hollow activity. It's _co-ordinated_, organised like someone is pulling strings and ordering the hollows around." Captain Berubetto grunted and stepped back into the row of captains. "Also, this may be linked to the report Vice-captain Katsukai turned into me the other day. Readings have indicated increased activity in Hueco Mundo. Hollows seem to be gathering in large numbers in certain locations along with Gillian class Menos." Kishi took a deep breath and sighed. "We fear there has been a spike in the number of Arrancar residing there too...".

The air in the room became tense. "This could be a problem." frowned Captain Fukuzawa. Most of the captain's faces filled with worry except for Captain Aono, who just nodded.

"We know Arrancar can be formed naturally, but they are so few and far between aren't they?" questioned Captain Kyōkan.

"Captain Kedamono, have you been able to uncover what may be causing this spike?" asked Captain Kouen, looking expectantly at Kishi.

"Well, no. I appointed a large number of Institute members and Vice-captain Katsukai to investigate the possible causes. I shall have a report readied in three days recording all progress so far." Kishi explained.

"Captain Kedamono, I want you to continue to monitor the situation in Hueco Mundo. If there is signs of a mounting attack on either the Human world or Soul Society then we must move to quell it before it can take form and it becomes a full scale battle, that would be disastrous for both worlds." said Tenshi firmly, adapting a serious air as opposed to his usual laid back demeanour.

"I sure wouldn't mind taking a holiday to Hueco Mundo to split some Arrancar heads." Laughed Captain Tora. He turned and hi-fived Captain Drakesuno who was nodding in agreement.

"Well then you can lead the attack squad along with my brother should the need arise, Captain Tora." Said Tenshi turning away and returning to his chair at the head of the hall.

Captain Tora stopped suddenly and groaned. "I was kidding...I don't wanna take lead." he frowned. "However, I'm sure Vice captain Sendo would gladly help." spoke captain Tora smiling inwardly as he loved messing around with his squad when it came to randomly handing them assignments.

"Speaking of Vice-captain Katsukai, Captain Kedamono. This is the third request from the Kidō corps for Vice-captain Katsukai's transfer that you have rejected. I know that the decision to pass the requests onto your Vice-captain is your own but I strongly urge you to reconsider." frowned Tenshi

"No." answered Kishi, lazily drawing on his cigarette and blowing a couple of smoke rings. "He's my Vice-captain and I'm going to keep him. If I wanted anyone else, I would have picked them instead."

Captain-commander Sendo had become very accustomed to Kishi's relaxed demeanour and disregard for his authority but sometimes he found him to be very taxing. "Kishi, he's a Kidō prodigy and you know that damn well. He could be so much more powerful if you'd just allow his transfer as he would be properly trained in the art of kidō." sighed Tenshi with an edge of exhausted patience.

"Do you really want to remove such a skilled kidō user from the Gotei 13, Captain commander, sir?" quizzed Captain Kedamono, glancing at Captain-commander Sendo, tapping the ash from his cigarette.

"I don't care about that, Captain Kedamono. My interests lie in the boy's development." he replied, rubbing his temples.

"Yes, but his talents are a bit...unnatural. Wouldn't you say, Captain-commander?" smirked Kishi, his eyes twinkled mischievously.

"He IS a prodigy, Kishi." sighed Tenshi. He knew that's not what Captain Kedamono had meant. "What do you know, Kishi, what are you hiding?" he thought, creasing his brow.

"Actually, I have something to bring up, about Vice-captain Sendo." said Captain Tora, stepping forward. "He seems to have become restless in his position as Vice-captain." Shiro shuffled on the spot. "If I encourage him to push for the title of Captain, who will support him?"

"Vying for Captaincy, eh?" pondered Kishi. "I will." he said stepping forward with a smile.

"Thank you, Captain Kedamono." smiled Captain Tora. "We can't all be captains forever, it's good to see support for the younger ones."

"Also," Kishi added "If he should decide to challenge you to a battle for your position, Shiro, I volunteer as one of the three moderating Captains required under the law of our Seireitei." smiled Kishi slyly.

Captain Tora eyed him suspiciously. "If you say so, Kishi."

Captain Drakesuno stepped forward. "Hey, old man. I'll moderate too. Sounds like some top notch entertainment to me." he smiled.

"Ok, ok, hush up." the Captain-commander butted in "Does anyone else have anything to report?" asked Tenshi, sitting down again. The Captain's all shook their heads progressively. "Good." He sighed "Captains, dismissed." The Captains turned to leave and began to file out the large double doors of the hall. "Captain Kedamono, please stay behind, there's something I wish to discuss with you."

Outside the hall, three Vice-captains, two boys and a girl, stood watching the squad captains leave and go their separate ways. One of them was the squad 13's Vice-captain Vexor "Vex" Sendo, brother to captain-commander Tenshi Sendo. He was a tall man who towered over the woman standing next to him and was slightly taller than the other man in the group. He had shoulder length, wavy light Blonde hair, that flicked outward at the tips and shone brightly in the light. He wore his Shihakushō loosely showing off his toned chest and bulky shoulders. Vex wore his Zanpakutō, slanted to his right, on the back of his waist which was unusual but due too his peculiar fighting style of hand to hand, worked very well for him. He had Chiselled cheekbones, square jaw, full, rounded lips, a small nose and half shut tired looking sky blue eyes that reflected the calmness of his soul, he also had fuzzy, almost invisible hairs on his chin and pale white coloured complexion.

Vex was holding hands with the female Vice-captain, Tsumichi Nyuuraku. Vice captain of squad 4. She was a very petite looking woman with an elegant and beautiful figure. Her hooded bright purple eyes contrasted beautifully with her pale skin which was a similar colour to that of her partners. Her luxurious, long, straight hair reached down to her curvy and well formed waist, it was a bright china white colour and was worn down in a curtained style. The ends of Tsumichi's hair were curled away from her face. Tsumichi was very short and had a very slender build, Vex often worried about this and pestered her to eat more. Tsumichi also had a domed forehead which was barely visible through her smoke screen like fringe. She wore her robe loosely exposing her moderately sized chest which had a very shiny purple necklace elegantly placed on it, Which Vex often admired.

The third Vice-captain standing with them was 12th squad's Zarasuto Katsukai. Zarasuto had dark chestnut brown hair down to his shoulders all the way around with jagged, slightly uneven tips except for a very thin tail that ran from the top of his neck where it was tied, using his Vice-captains armband, the 12th squad number clearly showing on the outside of the band, all the way down to his waistline. Although the wearing of Vice-captain's armbands had fallen out of fashion he always wore his. Zarasuto's hair was parted in line with his left eye and fell neatly around either side of his face, which had a tendency to slip and fall in front of the right side of his face, much to his annoyance. Zarasuto had a fairly attractive yet rather feminine face, it was long and thin which gently rounded of at his chin with a average sized, straight nose that curved up slightly at the tip, thinnish lips and high cheekbones. The only thing that particularly stood out was his eyes, they were a rounded shape but the colours were mismatched, his left eye was a lush green colour whereas his right eye was a piercing blue colour. Zarasuto was fairly tall at 6ft 1" with a thin frame and little muscle on his limbs. He wore the standard Shihakushō of the Gotei 13 with his Zanpakutō at the left side on his waist.

They appeared to be discussing their current ranks within the Gotei 13. "I'm going for captain, I hope Captain Tora retires soon or the other captains recommend me for the position." said Vex, kicking his heels impatiently. "I mean, I can already use Bankai and I guess I do command a fair bit of respect among the lower ranking Shinigami." he shrugged, with an air of confidence, trying not to sound arrogant. His overconfidence was often mistaken for arrogance so he had to put extra care into trying not to sound arrogant.

"I'm quite happy being a vice captain, I don't want to be in charge of a squad." said Zarasuto stretching out his arms. "I wouldn't do very well commanding them, you guys know I can't talk to large groups of people." chuckled Zarasuto light-heartedly, brushing his hair out of his face. "...and I can't use Bankai yet." he added with a sigh.

"You'll get it eventually, Zarasuto." smiled Tsumichi.

"Although, it would be nice to escape Captain Kedomono's iron fisted rule on the squad, he's such a slave driver." Zarasuto smiled weakly.

"Yeah, I hear you. The responsibility would bear down on me but I'd relish the challenge. Sure beats fighting nothing but hollows all the time." Said Vex as the last of the captains began to leave.

A voice muttered something into Vex's ear "I heard your conversation. Your lusting to become a captain. Captain Tora is strong but you have only one shot, that's defeating your captain with many witnesses...although it is considered a very barbaric and somewhat primitive way of gaining captaincy." Vex whipped around to see Captain Kedamono standing there smiling. "Hey, Zarasuto. What was that I heard about an iron fist?" he said, looking menacingly at Zarasuto. The captain stood behind Zarasuto and didn't see the colour drain from his face.

"N-nothing, Captain Kedamono." Zarasuto replied quickly, the colour draining from his face.

"Hm, that so?" Kishi smiled slyly.

"Hmm, that's not a bad idea..." Vex thought to himself.

Tsumichi leaned over To Vex. "Vex, I know what your thinking...Please don't, I've seen your captain fight. He's very dangerous, I don't want you getting hurt." she whispered.

Vex wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close to prevent the others overhearing them "Don't worry, I wont get hurt, I can take care of myself." whispered Vex before pecking her on the cheek and releasing his grip. "You better be getting back to your squad. I'm going out into the Rukongai to get some training in with Zarasuto later, fancy joining us?" Vex asked. She nodded with a smile. Vex turned to Zarasuto who was being stared down by Captain Kedamono. "Zarasuto, remember were going out to Western Rukongai, the Hokutan district to train later, ok?" He said.

Zarasuto acknowledged him with a nod. Kishi decided to butt in. "Oh no you don't Zarasuto. Since you're under my 'iron fist' I'm going to exert it. I want you to look over all readings from the real world and Hueco Mundo since the increased Hollow activity first began and compile it into a complete detailed report so I can give it to Captain-commander Sendo." he smiled. Zarasuto groaned at having another huge work load dumped on him. "What's more, I want it completed by five o'clock." Kishi looked up at the sun. "That gives you four hours. Get to it Vice-captain!" he grinned cheerfully. Zarasuto made a strangled noise, a look of panic crossed his face before he dashed off towards the Research and Development Institute.

"Poor Zarasuto. I'm surprised he even manages to find spare time for himself." Remarked Tsumichi with a wry smile.

"You two are free to help him if you wish." Kishi chimed in.

Vex frowned "I think we'll pass." he replied quickly. Captain Kedamono had a way of roping people into things without them realising.

The was a soft jingling sound as a Hell Butterfly descended out of the blue sky and landed on Tsumichi's extended finger. She turned her attention to Vex "I'm sorry Vex, Captain Osagawara wants me to return to the barracks as quick as possible. I'll see you later." she gave a brief wave and hurried off in the direction of the Squad 4 barracks.

Kishi decided to take his leave and began to walk slowly in the direction of the Institute. "Think about what I said." he said quietly as he passed Vex and continued to walk away.

Vex twisted and watched him walk away. A thoughtful shadow crossed his face briefly before he turned away and made his way back to the Squad 13 barracks.

Vex slowly passed through the large wooden gates emblazoned with the mark of the Thirteenth Squad. The barracks were relatively empty, through the gates he could see a small group of Shinigami were sat on the grass talking and relaxing, two Shinigami passed their Vice-captain discussing their hopes of achieving Bankai and what they think theirs would be like, they nodded to Vex as they passed, he returned the greeting through reaction alone, he was far too focused on other things to pay heed to such dreamers. Vex entered the compound and looked around. He could hear other squad members here and there but that was of no concern to him. Sat on the edge of the wooden walkway surrounding one of the buildings was Captain Tora, basking in the rays of the afternoon sun. Vex strengthened his resolve and approached his captain.

"Well if it isn't Sexy Vexy!" Laughed Captain Tora, raising his hand, acknowledging Vex.

"Didn't I ask you to stop calling me that?" Vex sighed coming to a halt before Captain Tora.

"Ah, maybe you did but maybe I just didn't hear you." He replied with a wink.

Vex face palmed lightly with another sigh. "Time to get down to business..." he thought to himself. "Captain Tora. Can I talk to you in your office for a minute? It's kinda important." said Vex.

"Sure, What's on your mind, my friend?" said Captain Tora, sliding open the door that lead from the outside into his office. He casually strolled over to his desk and sat down behind it. "Take a seat, Vex." he said, motioning towards a sturdy wooden chair on the opposite side of the desk from him. Vex took up the Captains offer and sat stiffly in the chair. "Hmm, Vex you seem tense." frowned Captain Tora.

"W-well...um...sir, with all due respect, I..." Vex started slowly. Captain Tora raised an eyebrow. "I-I wish to challenge you for your title of Captain." said Vex bracing himself for his captains wrath.

Captain Tora closed his eyes and breathed a long sigh. "Kishi..." he muttered under his breath. "Vex, you've been my Vice-captain for a long time now and I was sensing that you were catching up to me, possibly even beginning to surpass me so there will be no surprise if you give me a run for my money out there." He smiled "But you must understand, do not hold back. I shall honour you by fighting with full strength and I give you my utmost respect for coming to me with this but you must also be aware that most of the Captains will look down on you in your status of Captain if you win." he said in a serious tone. Captain Tora stretched his arms and cracked his fingers before putting his hands behind his head and leaning back in his chair with a cheeky grin. "Shall we make it noon tomorrow? Outside the Thirteenth division's barracks?" suggested Captain Tora, still smiling.

"Yes sir, I shall do you proud and I'll best you in battle tomorrow." Vex said with a smile, he felt more confident after talking to Captain Tora. "Now I'll be taking my leave. I have some training to do." said Vex extending his hand to his captain.

Captain Tora laughed again "Your gonna need that training my boy." His captain returned the gesture and gripped Vex's hand tightly, still smiling as he watched his Vice-captain exit the office and slide the door closed again.

Vex approached the field where he did most of his training. It was a fairly large clearing in the woods, surrounded by thick, leafy trees a short walk from the residence area of Western District #3. He could see through the trees that his two friends were already there, he could hear them training before he arrived anyway and was surprised to see Captain Kedamono sat on a tree stump at the edge of the clearing, looking through a thick bundle of paper. Vex didn't give his presence much thought, probably so he could reprimand Zarasuto as soon as possible if the report wasn't up to scratch. Vex didn't really care anyway, he was too excited and nervous about his upcoming battle with Captain Tora.

Vex sat down on the grass against the thick trunk of a tree and observed his friends training Kidō. Since members of the Fourth Division are trained in healing, receive little or no combat training and thus generally have low combat capabilities, Tsumichi had decided some time ago that she wanted to become a proficient fighter as well as a healer, so Zarasuto and himself had been training her in their spare time in the art of combat.

"Right, Tsumichi attack me using your Kidō and your hohō." said Zarasuto, readying combat stance. "Way of Binding #39: Enkosen." he said, holding his left arm out, a large glowing circular shield formed before the palm of his hand.

Tsumichi adapted her own battle stance. "Way of Destruction #33: Sōkatsui!" yelled Tsumichi as she aimed at Zarasuto and unleashed the blast of blue fire at him. Zarasuto raised his shield and took the blast head on. Zarasuto swung his left arm using the draught from his shield to clear the smoke faster. He peered through the smoke to see Tsumichi had already moved. Behind him to his left he heard the shout of "Way of Destruction #4: Byakurai!". Three streaks of white lightning hurtled towards him. Zarasuto brought his shield arm round and deflected them sending them crashing into the surrounding trees. He saw a shadow appear on the ground before him. Zarasuto drew his Zanpakutō with his right hand in a sweeping motion upwards, it connected with Tsumichi's Zanpakutō as she fell out the air with a downward slash. He parried the blow with his Zanpakutō and punched forward with his left hand, knocking Tsumichi back. She stumbled backwards and skidded to a halt before disappearing using Flash Step.

"You'll have to do better than that Tsumichi!" Zarasuto called out.

Tsumichi appeared back where she had started. "We'll see about that." she spat. She disappeared in an instant using Flash Step. "Way of Destruction #31: Shakkahō!" Tsumichi appeared at points forming a triangle for the briefest second, firing off a ball of red energy at each point.

Zarasuto reacted in an instant. He let his shield dissipate, "Way of Destruction #31: Shakkahō" He murmured. He fired off three of his own kidō blasts. The two attacks collided and nullified each other in a series of small explosions. "Time to retaliate." he decided.

Tsumichi moved in for another attack. "Way of destruction #30: Hyoubara!" she shouted, attacking from behind him. She swept her arm in an arc before her leaving a glittering blue trail, dozens of long, thin thorns of ice shot out of the trail towards Zarasuto at an alarming rate. Tsumichi disappeared in a flash again.

Zarasuto heard her attack and glanced over his shoulder and saw the ice thorns incoming, out of the corner of his eye he saw Tsumichi dashing towards him with her Zanpakutō in a pincer attack. He raised his left arm and muttered "Way of Binding #39: Enkosen." at the same time he sheathed his Zanpakutō and held his right arm towards the incoming needles. "Way of Destruction #33: Sōkatsui!" he called unleashing a wave of blue, incinerating the attack. Tsumichi's Zanpakutō collided with Zarasuto's shield. He swung his shield arm left, pushing her Zanpakutō away and knocking her off balance. He brought his right arm forward and called "Way of Binding #30: Shitotsu Sansen.". A golden triangle formed on the tip of his index finger and launched itself at Tsumichi. She gasped in horror as it slammed into her and carried her across the clearing and nailed her to a tree. "Better, it's clear your Hohō training with Vex is paying off." said Zarasuto releasing Tsumichi from his Kidō. "Although, your Kidō attacks would be a lot stronger if you recited the incantations, your Kidō loses a lot power when your try to cast it using Eishohaki and even more so because your not an expert Kidō fighter." he explained. "Although it is impressive that you can even use Eishohaki." Zarasuto smiled.

"It's only for those four spells though, I have to do the incantation for the rest of them." she frowned.

"And I see you've improved your double Eishohaki, Zarasuto." said Vex, approaching his friends, quietly applauding.

"Oh, Vex. I hadn't noticed you'd arrived." said Zarasuto, sounding surprised.

"Yeah, I just sat back and watched the entertainment." he said while stretching.

"Yeah I guess I have improved, haven't I?" Zarasuto said, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment. "I also figured that if I keep a constant flow of Reiatsu going, I can maintain my Enkosen indefinitely." he smiled looking at his left arm.

"Don't rely too much on Enkosen, Zarasuto." came Captain Kedamono's voice from behind them. "It may cost you."

"Yes, Captain Kedamono, sir." replied Zarasuto without turning round.

Vex let out a long sigh. "I spoke to Captain Tora before I left the Seireitei, our fight is at noon tomorrow outside the Thirteenth Division's barracks." he said, putting on a serious face.

Tsumichi frowned. "High noon, eh? Well, that's just a little cliché." said Captain Kedamono from the stump he was sat on, without looking up from the stack of papers.

"Cliché or not, tomorrow, I will claim the title of Captain of the Thirteenth Division." said Vex with an air of confidence.

"Don't get overconfident now Vex or it'll come back to bite you in the ass." said Zarasuto.

"Yeah, well your gonna help me get some last minute training in." Vex smiled, reaching for the collar of Zarasuto's kosode, Vex took a firm grasp of his friends robe and dragged Zarasuto across the clearing to the centre.

"Don't get carried away like last time, you two." said Tsumichi, still frowning at what Vex had said.

"We won't." said Vex. He stopped and the centre of the clearing and shoved Zarasuto forwards causing him to stagger off balance slight before turning to face him.

"Vex, do I have to? Training against a Kidō fighter won't do much good to prepare you for fighting Captain Tora." Zarasuto complained.

"Training is training, Zarasuto." shrugged Vex. "You said you would anyway."

"Fine, fine. I'll humour you this time." sighed Zarasuto.

The two Vice-captains took up their positions and battle stances. Zarasuto stood normally, feet slightly apart, to the untrained eye he looked like he would stand if he was having a conversation but Vex knew he had tensed himself so he could react lightning fast depending on what move his opponent made. Vex twisted his body at his waist, putting left foot back and his right forwards. Vex reached back with his left hand and placed it upon the handle of his Zanpakutō and raised his right arm as defence. They stared each other down, waiting for the other to make a move. Vex gave in first and charged towards Zarasuto. As Vex closed the distance between the Vice-captains, they both drew their Zanpakutō in a slashing motion. Their Zanpakutō clashed and grinded together as both the fighters attempted to overpower the other, being stronger, Vex had the advantage. Knowing he would lose in a battle of strength, Zarasuto swiftly dropped to kneeling on one leg, leaving Vex stumbling forwards without an opposing force pressing against his Zanpakutō. Zarasuto shouted "Way of Destruction #31: Shakkahō!" and fired a blast of red into Vex's stomach.

Vex flew back and flipped back in mid air on to his feet, grinding to a halt on the soft earth. "Good shot, my friend." he said smiling. Zarasuto nodded in acknowledgement.

Vex charged in the same way as before, Zarasuto slashed at him horizontally but Vex jumped causing Zarasuto's blade to cut through thin air. Vex came down on Zarasuto, slashing downwards. Zarasuto brought his Zanpakutō up and blocked the attack. Vex was knocked to the side but as soon as he touched the ground, he spun on his heel and kicked out at Zarasuto. Vex's kick connected with Zarasuto's side sending him rolling across the dirt. Zarasuto climbed to his feet dusted himself off. "Nice kick." said Zarasuto, wiping the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand before raising his Zanpakutō again. Vex simply smiled modestly, he didn't particularly like being complimented much. Vex then took his stance.

This time both fighters charged in complete synchronisation and clashed swords. They immediately jumped apart after the impact and began slashing wildly at each other almost symmetrically. Vex brought his Zanpakutō down in a powerful swing from above his right shoulder, Zarasuto had just enough time to parry the blow as he swung his weapon from the opposite direction. The blades clashed in a shower of sparks, both combatants grunted in surprise as their Zanpakutō flew out of their hands and arced through the air and burying themselves into the ground behind their respective wielders. Both Shinigami looked at each other and instantly came up with separate tactics on the spot. "Way of destruction #4: Byakurai!" shouted Zarasuto, pointing his finger at Vex. A fine bolt of lightning shot out of his fingertip. Vex dived to the side in the direction of his Zanpakutō causing his friends Kidō to only succeed in connecting with the soft earth, Vex quickly scrambled for his blade. Zarasuto had anticipated this and softly said "Way of Binding #9: Hōrin.". Vex gasped in surprise as a thin orange thread of energy wrapped itself around the handle of his Zanpakutō and whipped it past him mere moments before he could close his fingers around the handle.

Vex spun around to see Zarasuto holding his own Zanpakutō in his right and Vex's Zanpakutō in his left, his friend adapted a battle stance, raising both Zanpakutō. "I must admit. You look rather intimidating standing there with two Zanpakutō." Laughed Vex, folding his arms and assessing the situation.

Zarasuto laughed and grinned "If you think I'M intimidating, then you'll shit yourself soon as Captain Tora raises his weapon tomorrow."

Vex smiled, he had a plan. "Ready or not..." he called. Vex took a step forwards and immediately disappeared with Flash Step. Zarasuto crossed his arms and swung both Zanpakutō and he unfolded them Vex reappeared in front of him. Vex quickly ducked under the wide, sweeping attack and went to punch Zarasuto's stomach as he rose. Zarasuto countered by swinging Vex's Zanpakutō downwards, forcing Vex to move back and upright, he immediately followed up by bringing his own Zanpakutō round in a head-height horizontal swing. Vex ducked off to the left again so that he was to Zarasuto's right, where his friend has just swung from. Zarasuto quickly twisted his wrist, facing the sharp edge of his Zanpakutō towards Vex again and sliced at him. Vex brought his right arm up in defence and the back of his hand connected with Zarasuto's wrist, stopping the attack. Zarasuto brought his left under his right arm, stabbing at Vex's abdomen, this was the opportunity Vex had been waiting for. He brought his own left under his right and pushed the palm of his hand against the flat of his blade, pushing the attack off to his right. Vex followed through and ducked as he spun, removing his hand from Zarasuto's wrist and leaving his friend's Zanpakutō to sail over his head. Vex pounced forwards and wrapped as much of his hand as he could fit around the handle of his Zanpakutō, above where Zarasuto was gripping the weapon. He chopped Zarasuto's left wrist with his own left hand, causing him to release his grip on the Zanpakutō. Vex quickly drew his left arm back and smashed Zarasuto in the stomach with his elbow, causing him to double over. He then reversed his momentum and spun on his left foot in a reverse spin and kicked his friend in the flat of his left shoulder using his right foot, knocking him onto his back several feet away. Vex lost his balance and tumbled over onto his behind, clutching his Zanpakutō tightly.

Zarasuto slowly got to his feet. "It's not over Vex. Let's step it up a notch. What's say you?" he said, extending his left arm towards his friend with and open palm facing skyward, as if to gesture a challenge.

Vex got to his feet and smiled, he was really enjoying the fight. "Yeah, you got it but you brought this upon yourself, Zarasuto." he said in an amused tone. A quick thought suddenly materialized in Vex's head. "Come to think of it. I've never seen your Shikai before." he chuckled. "I know you've seen mine on several occasions during my training and at inter-squad combat exhibitions but you spend so long cooped up in that dark 'n' dingy Research Institute that I've never had a chance."

"Don't bad mouth my Institute." came Captain Kedamono's voice from the edge of the clearing.

"Well then, watch closely." Zarasuto grinned. He switched his Zanpakutō to his left hand and raised it so it was horizontal in front of his face. He brought his right hand up and placed it on the flat of the blade with the back of his hand facing Vex. "Open! Bantanatae Hako!" Zarasuto called. His Zanpakutō started glowing bright white as he ran the palm of his right along the length of the blade. He kept moving his hand past the tip and the glow followed his hand, extending the blade. Tilting the blade downwards as he drew his right hand along it, he stopped and grabbed the now thick shaft of light as it reached his waist. Immediately the glowing light burst into little particles that quickly faded, leaving Zarasuto holding a cruel looking scythe. At the base of the shaft was a wickedly sharp black point coming through a silver disk attached to the end of the shaft. The shaft itself gently curved up, black in colour with a dark purple tribal pattern winding up it from the disk and a little hand grip jutting out the back, a little below the head of the scythe where Zarasuto's right hand was. The head was simply a block shape, silver like the disk but blade itself was pitch black, seemingly made form obsidian and very long, curving out gently like the shaft to another dangerously sharp point which gleamed in the sun and along the bottom ran an equally sharp bladed edge, from the angle he was looking from, Vex could see it was two blades side by side with a small gap between them. The blades extended several inches out the back of the head, identical to the main blades but with visibly serrated edges. Vex stared at the weapon in awe, he was impressed.

"Try not to catch your arm with the serrated bits again, Zarasuto." Called out Captain Kedamono casually. Vex's awe-struck impression was shattered and he struggled to stifle a giggle as Zarasuto's face reddened at the comment.

"Yes, Captain." Zarasuto hissed through gritted teeth.

"Show time." smiled Vex. He dropped his Zanpakutō and shouted "Harden! Ganseki!" Vex's Zanpakutō turned an earthen brown colour as it dropped, he snatched at the blade with his right hand, causing it to shatter into brown shards as if he had just smashed a boulder. The shards hovered momentarily before zipping onto Vex's forearms and hands, covering them in a thick, rugged layer of rock. Vex raised his right arm and looked at his right hand as he flexed it open and closed. He moved as easily as if the rock wasn't even there. "Let's get on with this." chuckled Vex, readying his fists in front of his chest.

Vex charged forwards, drawing back his right. Zarasuto let go of the shaft of his scythe, letting the head strike the ground with a thud so the he held it near the base of the shaft with his left hand, the scythe began giving off a dull purple glow. He raised his other hand and fired a Shakkahō without uttering a word but Vex just punched through it. "You'll have to do better than that!" Vex yelled as he ran. Zarasuto said nothing and the blue flames of Sōkatsui erupted from his hand. Vex stopped his charge and raised his arm in front of himself, the rocks on his arm rearranged themselves into a large round shield that protected Vex's upper half. He felt the attack collide with his shield and lowered his arm, the rocks rearranging back around his arm. Through the smoke Vex could see that Zarasuto was gone. "Damn..." he muttered as he glanced about, trying to locate his opponent.

Vex caught something out of the corner of his eye and quickly look forwards again. As if opening a doorway from nothing, Zarasuto appeared, quickly materialising from right to left in front of Vex, swinging his scythe down at Vex at an alarming rate. Zarasuto looked strangely calm for someone in the middle of battle.

"Shit! Kyokko!" spat Vex, swinging his left arm forwards in an attempt to block the oncoming attack. The blades of Zarasuto's scythe connected with the rock on Vex's arm in a fierce attack. Although it was only a glancing blow, Zarasuto succeeded in cleaving a sizeable chunk of stone from Vex's forearm, which hit the ground with a dull thud. Vex punched the ground, causing the earth to ripple beneath Zarasuto's feet. Zarasuto jumped back to avoid the attack and the glow faded from his scythe.

Zarasuto watched in wonder and Vex smirked as the rock around the missing patch on Vex's forearm seemed to start to grow and expand. "That's new..." he murmured.

"Doesn't matter what kind of damage you do to my Zanpakutō." smiled Vex "It will just regenerate the missing stone automatically, it's as if the rock is alive, no?"

Zarasuto simply raised his scythe and it began to give of the same dull glow again, his body relaxed and the same strange calmness seemed to settle over Zarasuto again. Vex punched forwards, firing off the rock surrounding his fist like a stone rocket. Zarasuto swung his scythe and caught the boulder in the gap between the blades and spun round, catapulting the rock back at Vex. Vex let the rock on his fist regenerate and smashed the oncoming rock with his other hand. Zarasuto hefted his scythe behind his head, rested it upon his shoulders and pointed his arm forwards "Way of Binding #61: Rikujōkōrō.".

Vex couldn't hear him over the sound of the rock shattering, he saw his friend's mouth move. Vex rushed forwards regardless, hoping he could strike his opponent before his Kidō could take effect. Vex's charge faltered when he noticed three wide, flat, thin rectangular beams of bright light flying towards him. "Ah, Rikujōkōrō." he mused. Despite his low ability in the use of it, hence, he didn't use it at all, Vex had quite a extensive knowledge of Kidō that he had picked up from Zarasuto and other shinigami.

"Shit, what do I do? His Kidō lets him attack at long range but if I get in close he can just attack using his scythe, that thing's dangerous." he though glancing at his forearm where Zarasuto has cut away a large chunk of the rock previously.

Vex jumped, narrowly avoiding the binding attack. "Close, but you'll never hit me like that." smirked Vex. "His offence is perfectly balanced." Vex frowned. "His weakness seems to be his speed." mused Vex. "Zarasuto's no Shunpo expert so I should be able to take some kind of advantage using that." As Vex landed, Zarasuto swept low with his scythe, trying to catch Vex's legs as he hit the ground. Vex saw this and swung his arms back, the force of the swing and weight of the rock pulling him backwards outside Zarasuto's range.

Zarasuto allowed his sweep to flow through, as he brought it back up he began to spin it rapidly at his side, Vex sensed the build up in Zarasuto's reiatsu and focused his own into his fists. Zarasuto brought his scythe round in front of him and called "Way Of Destruction #58: Tenran!" A huge tornado ripped forth from Zarasuto's scythe. Vex gritted his teeth and punched the ground, releasing his reiatsu from his fists into the earth, through this he manipulated the ground into forming and earth wall between himself and Zarasuto. The barrier did little against Zarasuto's attack as it violently tore through the earth barrier. Vex leapt back and punched the ground repeatedly as he went, raising several more earthen barriers, trying to slow down the rampaging tornado. "I have you now..." smirked Zarasuto. He stuck his Zanpakutō into the ground by the blades and began reciting and incantation. "Ye lord! Mask of blood and flesh, all creation..."

Vex leapt back once again as the tornado tore though another wall of earth, it showed no signs of slowing down. Vex focused and the rock on his left arm began to expand into a large shield. He crouched behind it and braced for impact. The tornado smashed into his shield, pushing him back, his feet cutting gouges into the earth as he was pushed back bit by bit. Vex could barely hear Zarasuto over the sound of the tornado, but he could hear enough. Vex's stomach clenched as he heard Zarasuto reciting an incantation. "I have to stop him now." he hissed to himself, trying to hold back the amplified Kidō.

"Flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of man! On the wall of blue flame, inscribe a twin lotus. In the abyss of conflagration, wait at the far heavens! Way Of Destruction #73: Sōren Sōkatsui!" Yelled Zarasuto.

Vex glanced over his shield, his eyes screwed against the wind. He saw the two shots of blue fire erupt from Zarasuto's hands. "Shit! Looks like I've only got one shot at this."

Zarasuto saw his tornado crash down into the ground, he smiled to himself as his Sōren Sōkatsui struck home Immediately afterwards in a large blue blast. "Looks like I win!" he yelled towards the rising cloud of dust.

"Don't be so sure!" came a cry from Zarasuto's left, he spun round in surprise to see Vex falling towards him. "Takasentou!" Vex yelled. The blood red glow of Vex's reiatsu seeped rapidly from cracks in the rock of his right gauntlet. The reiatsu quickly took form of two large wings that extended right up Vex's arm and spread outwards behind his shoulder. A Falcon's head formed around Vex's right fist and a large beak took aim at Zarasuto.

"Come on!" yelled Zarasuto, challenging Vex. He grabbed the shaft of his scythe and wrenched it free from the ground. "Kēresu tsume!" Zarasuto swung his scythe back and let his reiatsu flow down the shaft of his scythe, giving the appearance of Violent liquid leaking from his fingertips running down in small streams at a high speed. His reiatsu formed into two large glowing violent blades over his scythes own blades.

Vex drew back his fist and threw a mighty punch, at the same time Zarasuto drew back his scythe and delivered a powerful upward swing. There was a blinding flash as the two combatants reiatsu came into contact, followed by a loud explosion. Kishi stood up and created a kidō barrier around them to contain the blast. Kishi counted to ten and let the barrier go. You could hear the sound of grinding Zanpakutō and the grunting of two warriors trying to overpower each other. The smoke cleared to reveal Vex and Zarasuto still standing, slightly blackened, clashing their sealed Zanpakutō, the blast had taken them both out of shikai.

"Draw...?" grunted Vex pushing forward on his Zanpakutō.

"Draw." nodded Zarasuto, pushing back. The two Shinigami eased up and sheathed their weapons. "When did it become sunset?" asked Zarasuto, snapping out of his battle focus.

"Huh? Oh, damn. There goes all my other plans." Vex frowned.

"Plans?" asked Zarasuto with a raised eyebrow.

"Nothing much. I was going to go over the squad records, try and narrow down my choices for Vice-captain. It doesn't matter." he replied.

"Your really confident that you're going to win aren't you." remarked Kishi, slipping the papers into the fold in his kosode.

"Do you think I'm going to lose or something?" asked Vex, sounding slightly annoyed.

"Not really, though over confidence leads to underestimation and the last person to underestimate Captain Tora paid a hefty price..." said Kishi as he casually wandered off into the trees back towards the Seireitei.

Vex snorted at Captain Kedamono's comment and turned back to face Zarasuto. "I assume you'll be attending the fight?" he asked.

"Even if I didn't want to I don't have a choice, Captain Kedamono is one of the three moderating Captains." shrugged Zarasuto. "You know, no one has told me where the fight will take place." he frowned.

"Right outside the 13th squad barracks." said Vex.

"I'll be arriving with Captain Kedamono anyway." Zarasuto glanced up at the sun, gauging the time. "Hm, I need to get back to the institute and compile the first part of my report for Captain Kedamono. See you tomorrow, Vex." turning away and leaving for the seireitei.

"That boy is an inexhaustible machine when it comes to his work." Vex turned away and looked around for Tsumichi. He spotted her sleeping under a tree. "Right, let's get you back to the barracks." Vex muttered to a sleeping Tsumichi. He paused to admire her beauty before he scooped her up into his arms and began his walk to the squad 4 barracks.

As Vex approached the squad 4 barracks Tsumichi's eyes opened. "Ah, your awake." whispered Vex to his partner as he put her down.

"Oh, I'm sorry I must have drifted off while you two were fighting. I was exhausted from training with Zarasuto. Combat training is so much more exhausting than our medical training." sighed Tsumichi.

"Hm, I guess we don't notice just how exhausting it is since we don't do any other kind of training." shrugged Vex. "I'd better be getting back to my barracks, I need rest, I've got a big day tomorrow." said Vex turning to leave.

"Vex.." Tsumichi said quietly.

"Yeah?" said Vex turning round.

"Be careful tomorrow.." said Tsumichi, her expression was one of deep concern.

"I will, don't worry." grinned Vex.

"But I do. I..." Tsumichi stopped mid-sentence.

"You what...?" puzzled Vex.

"Oh.. nothing." said Tsumichi looking downward and blushing slightly. Vex shrugged and gave her a kiss before saying goodbye.

Vex returned to the 13th Squad barracks and slipped in quietly, trying not to wake anyone. He slid the door to the Vice-captain's quarters shut and slipped out of his Shihakushō. Vex lay awake in his bed going over every possible outcome, some in which he won and claimed his title but most of them he was brutally maimed or killed. He dismissed these thoughts and looked around his room. This may be the last night he ever slept in this room. The thought sent a peculiar shudder down his spine. Vex snorted and rolled over to face the wall, only tomorrow would tell.

Authors note: All Japanese in this work of fanfiction are very rough translations comprised of Romaji and whatever google translate spits out. We don't speak Japanese though, so, we really don't care ^_^ First time writing a bleach fan fiction. A lovely joint fan fiction again with Death-on-the-wind and any inaccuracies or constructive criticism in mind do not hesitate to Pm me and let us know. Thanks. Credit to Habaki Beard for giving us a character and proof reading.

Regards

~Neji-of-the-earth~, Death-on-the-wind.


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